Sara Robinson, 24, is the owner of Shear Furfection Dog Salon located in Aberdeen.

(KAREN EDWARDS / iNFOnews.ca)

KAMLOOPS — When Sara Robinson finally decided to follow her dream and open her own pet grooming business, she looked everywhere in Kamloops for a place to practice.

While the options were slim, she ended up taking the space of an existing pet grooming facility located in Aberdeen, except there was just one problem. She had no idea until nearly a month later the former owner of the business was facing animal cruelty charges from an incident allegedly stemming from the very location Robinson now owns.

Though she has changed the name of the business, she is hoping her potential clientele knows she has no association or affiliation with the former A.B.C. Pet grooming business owned by Nelda Stocking who is currently facing two counts of causing unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal. Stocking has already pleaded guilty to one count and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 18.

“I've had a lot of people say to me 'Oh I had no idea she was like that'," Robinson says.

Robinson says since news of the charges and plea came out, she has seen a slight decrease in calls to her business.

"I'm wondering if people think that we are related or something along those lines but no I didn't know her previously," says the 24-year-old entrepreneur.

Robinson found the place when she saw an ad for a pet grooming facility that was for sale online back in January.

"It was Nelda's friend that had posted (the ad) and so I contacted her," she says. "I thought it was a perfect (spot) because all the other places in town either didn't have the right zoning for it or the landlords just said they didn't want dogs, which is fair, it can be noisy."

After five months of looking, she decided to take the spot located at #203-1490 Pearson Place. She is still in the process of renovating but has been open for business since June 19.

Although her pet grooming business is located in a spot from a former dog salon with a challenged reputation, Robinson hopes to change the public's view by showing the community her passion for animals with her new business.

"I'm just happy to be doing what I love," she says. “I don’t even feel like I’m working. This feels like a hobby."

Robinson originally comes from Alberta and is a natural dog lover. She has her own pup named Dexter that helped her realize she loves working with dogs.

Robinson is seen trimming a dog at her dog salon on Tuesday, July 9, 2019.

(KAREN EDWARDS / iNFOnews.ca)

“I heard of this dog grooming school in Surrey and they do this three-month program that teaches grooming,” she says. “I figured, I’m going to look into that.”

Although playing with puppies might sound like a dream to some, Robinson says it’s no easy task when it comes to grooming.

“Working with dogs... it’s not for everybody,” she says. “It requires a lot of patience.”

When she works with her animals, she focuses on making them as comfortable as possible.

“Most of the time (animals) have been abused by a previous groomer or they have had bad experiences or they just don’t like being away from mom or dad,” she says.

Grooming takes time, she points out.

“The important thing about grooming is once they are your clients it's all about getting into a routine,” she says.

For more information on Shear Furfection Dog Salon visit the official website.

Shear Furfection Dog Salon is located at unit 203-1490 Pearson Place. The name Shear Furfection comes from the type of scissors she uses.

(KAREN EDWARDS / iNFOnews.ca)

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